Shane Warne and Graeme Smith are thinking men while Yusuf Pathan is an extraordinary hitter of the cricket ball. These facts were on display in a cracker of a contest in which Team Jaipur bested Team Delhi by five wickets at the Centurion on Tuesday.

Chasing 144 to win, Jaipur were home with nine balls to spare. In the end, Warne won and Virender Sehwag lost because it was the thought put in and not just plain action that delivered the required result.

To begin with, the only thing that Delhi perhaps got right was winning the toss and electing to bat first on what seemed to be a belter. However, 143 was all they could manage because once the innings began, Warne came up with a plan so neat that his opponents, in such cracking form, began losing ground right from when it began.

Of course, there was the obvious to take note of. Munaf Patel’s highly stingy spell that fetched two wickets and Graeme Smith’s responsible, unbeaten 44 (46 balls, 5×4). But it was Pathan’s unbeaten 62 (30 balls, 3×4, 6×6) which was the decisive influence on the match.

In fact, his knock might just go down as the innings of the event. There was immense strength that he showed in his strokes, treating the speedsters and the spinners alike.

Tags: Daredevils, Delhi Daredevils, Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals, Graeme Smith, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, Virender Sehwag, Yusuf Pathan

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A struggling Rajasthan Royals will look to save their title while a rampaging Delhi Daredevils will strive to continue their unbeaten run when the two sides lock horns in an Indian Premier League encounter on Tuesday.

The Virender Sehwag-led Delhi team is gradually emerging as one of the strongest title contenders and is comfortably second in the points tally after winning all their three matches played so far.

On the other hand, Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals have managed three points by virtue of the tied match against Kolkata Knight Riders which they won in the ‘Super Over’ and are languishing seventh in the table.

The Delhi Daredevils’ formidable batting line-up, which managed 189-5 – the highest score of the tournament so far – against last year’s runner-up Chennai Super Kings in their second outing, have made them a force to reckon with.

Their explosive opening pair of Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, followed by the likes of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who scored a gutsy 67 to guide the team to a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, will be a worry for Rajasthan bowlers.

In-form all-rounder AB de Villiers and Mithun Manhas have also proved themselves in trying moments and the side is seemingly poised for chasing down stiff targets.

In the bowling department, Dutch-born Australian left-arm paceman Dirk Nannes, along with India discard Ashish Nehra, is showing some ominous penetration power and getting early breakthroughs.

The new-ball pair is finding supports from the spin duo of Amit Mishra and New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, who is drawing from his vast experience to make Delhi’s bowling formidable.

In contrast, Rajasthan have seemed like a shadow of the winning unit they were last season.

Young paceman Kamran Khan, who scalped two wickets for 15 runs for a losing cause in Sunday’s match against Kings XI Punjab, and speedster Munaf Patel are surely doing their bit but the batting has failed to back their consistent effort.

The team will be desperate for some fireworks from South Africa skipper Graeme Smith, who is yet to make any notable contribution.

The middle-order consisting Australian Rob Quiney and British Dimitri Mascarenhas will also have to strike form for the side to climb up in the points ladder.

Tags: Ab De Villiers, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Chennai Super kings, Daniel Vettori, Daredevils, Delhi Daredevils, Delhi Daredevils Vs Rajasthan Royals, Dimitri, Dirk Nannes, Gautam Gambir, Graeme Smith, IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL Updates, Kamran Khan, Kolkata Knight riders, Mithun Manhas, Nannes, Raj Kundra, Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, Shilpa Shetty, Super Over, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virender Sehwag, Yusuf Pathan

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Highlights of match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

• Kings XI have now recorded four points in four outings with a Net Run Rate of +0.271. Rajasthan Royals are placed at the seventh position with three points with a Net Run Rate of -1.700.
• The 75-run fifth-wicket partnership between Irfan Pathan and Kumar Sangakkara and Irfan Pathan is Kings XI’s best stand, obliterating the 63 between Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan against Rajasthan at Jaipur last year.
• Shane Warne and Ravindra Jadeja put on a seventh-wicket stand of 60, which is the best in the IPL, bettering the 54 between Dilshan and Maharoof for Delhi Daredevils against Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur last year.
• Irfan Pathan (39 off 33 balls) recorded his second highest IPL innings, next only to the 40 off 18 balls against Chennai Super Kings at Chennai last year.
• In Rajasthan Royals’ innings, Irfan bowled splendidly to claim two wickets for 26 runs and became the first all-rounder to post a 35-plus and bag two wickets in the same match in the second edition.
• Irfan is now the second all-rounder after James Hopes from Kings XI to achieve the double.
• Ravindra Jadeja (37 off 44 balls) posted his best innings in the IPL, bettering an unbeaten 36 off 25 balls against Kings XI at Jaipur last year.
• Shane Warne’s unbeaten 34 off 33 balls is also his best IPL knock, outstripping the 22 not out off 9 balls against Deccan Chargers at Hyderabad last year.
• Kumar Sangakkara posted his fifth IPL fifty – his first fifty in the second edition.
• With 60 off 51 balls and two catches, Sangakkara has received his second Man of the Match award in the IPL.
• Kings XI Punjab, with a 27-run victory, have won two games out of three against Rajasthan Royals.
• Kings XI Punjab (139/6) recorded their lowest total against Rajasthan Royals.
• Rajasthan Royals also posted their lowest total against Kings XI Punjab.
• Kings XI Punjab recorded a 27-run win, which is their second in four matches this year in the IPL.

Tags: IPL 2, IPL 2009, IPL 2009 News, IPL Scores, IPL South Africa, IPL Updates, Irfan Pathan, James Hopes, Kings XI Punjab, Kings XI Punjab Vs Rajasthan Royals, Kumar Sangakkara, Maharoof, Preity Zinta, Raj Kundra, Rajasthan Royals, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Warne, Shilpa Shetty, Yuvraj Singh

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